


4 minutes and 57 seconds

by kw_drewfan



Category: Nancy Drew (TV 2019)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Deleted Scene, F/M, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29045874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kw_drewfan/pseuds/kw_drewfan
Summary: A hypothetical "deleted scene" from 2x02. Nancy must have gotten the box of stuff from Ace before dropping it off at Carson's doorstep, right? This is a short imagining of how that might have played out.
Relationships: Ace & Nancy Drew, Ace/Nancy Drew
Comments: 9
Kudos: 63





	4 minutes and 57 seconds

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place around the same time that George shows up at the hotel to talk with Mrs. Nickerson - after the scenes at The Claw, but before they all meet up at the Rusty Hull.

He is surprised when the text comes through.

It’s not often that he receives messages from Nancy, and certainly not unprompted ones. It’s hard enough to get a reply from her on even the most important of matters. Whenever she _does_ text him first it’s almost always due to her asking a favor in relation to whatever life-threatening supernatural enigma the crew is currently working to unravel.

Not that he minds. It’s nice to feel a part of something.

The only problem with being a part of something is that there’s always the unspeakable possibility that you might lose it. Ace never thought he would be in danger of such a thing quite this early on, and yet here he is. Standing on the edge of a cliff.

...Or hanging lifelessly from a meat hook.

Ace can feel his insides shudder.

The crew’s plan to buy out the Rusty Hull that night left a short window of free time after everyone’s shifts ended; Ace had only briefly come home to discard his baseball cap and do a few things around the house for his father. He wasn’t expecting a visitor.

The digital flash of Nancy’s name on his phone screen causes a heavy feeling to settle in the pit of his stomach. It’s a perturbing combination of fear and guilt and almost a touch of relief, though he’s not so sure on his identification of that last one.

Still, he swipes his thumb across the screen to load up his text history with a certain strawberry blonde detective, eyes landing on the latest unread text:

_Hey... I need to talk to you before tonight._

That’s all it says, and he isn’t quite sure what to think but he does feel a little wary of the urgency. Before he has time to type out a response, another message arrives:

_I’ll be there in 5._

If there’s one thing Ace has learned, it’s that when Nancy Drew says she’ll do something, you can bet your bottom dollar that she means it. Exactly 4 minutes and 57 seconds later she’s knocking on his front door, clutching the strap of her messenger bag in the way she usually does when she’s nervous, asking without a word if she can come in.

Ace steps to the side and she passes him without haste, interlocking her fingers in uneasy intervals.

It takes a moment for her to speak.

“I’ve been thinking... about what you said earlier.”

He lifts his eyebrows, but offers no reply. Her gaze is unwavering despite the uncertainty she feels building in her chest.

“About how we may not have years left to do the things we want to do. Or need to do.”

Ace’s eyes land on the floor once her words settle in. He flexes his jaw a bit, just enough for Nancy to notice and recognize as a sign of tension. She knew that bringing up his prior words from the afternoon was only going to remind him of what she caused: a death curse that now looms over their heads at every moment of every day. To dredge up that wretched implication again, one that she _knows_ has left him hurt and afraid, was a difficult decision to make.

Regardless, she trudges on to the point of her visit. “I- I know that I’m not ready to forgive Carson for what he did. But I was wondering; do you still have that box from The Claw?”

Ace blinks. “Yeah, it’s in the back of my car.”

“Can I... take it to my car instead? It’s just that, I still may not be ready to see Carson or anything but that doesn’t mean that I can’t -” she stops herself here for some reason, unable to find the correct words amidst the anxious haze clouding her mind.

Or, she briefly considers, it could be because of the intense blue gaze holding hers with an unspoken understanding. Requiring no further explanation than what she is currently able to offer.

Probably not, though, right?

Ace simply nods and says, “I think that’s a great idea,” finally breaking through the tension in a gentle show of support. He points his thumb towards Florence sitting in the driveway. “She’s unlocked, so you can grab it out of the backseat.”

Nancy presses her lips together in an attempt to show her gratitude, though quickly ducks around his field of view in hopes that she can avoid the topic of Carson any further. She stops at the front door.

“So, I’ll see you at the Rusty Hull in 20 minutes?”

“Yeah, definitely. And hey -” Nancy turns to face him again. “- I really think you’re doing the right thing.”

She smiles again - genuinely, this time - and for the first time in months she can actually maybe believe it.

Her eyelids flutter as she pulls the door open and softly says, “Thanks.”

“No problem.”


End file.
